When The Songs Collide
by csilli
Summary: With a little more information and plot than the movie provides, here is another Bechloe story! Jesse as best friend Chloe as love interest. The rating is T but may change to M later. I'm bad at summaries, but if I were you, I'd give it a try...
1. Chapter 1

When The Songs Collide

Chapter 1

Beca Mitchell'd known, as long as she could remember that she wanted her life to revolve around music. That's why, at the age of six she had begged her parents to let her take piano lessons and they caved after a little while. Beca loved playing the piano even though she didn't have much talent with it. But she adored music. She adored the fact that she gained knowledge in making music. Her parents, Mary and Thomas appreciated her drive toward arts as Mary worked as a painter, and Thomas as a comperative literature professor at the nearby Barden University. Both of them were intellectual people who could clearly see: their daughter's desire to play an instrument wouldn't just simply go away.

And that was the beginning.

Their apartment wasn't big enough for them to buy a piano but Beca had to practice at home, her teacher and Beca both insisted fiercly on that, so the Mitchell parents agreed to buy a somewhat smaller digital keyboard for their eager little girl. That's when she tasted electronic music for the first time. Soon, she didn't only use the basic piano function on the device but tried her hand at the effects and different kind of sound-variations, too. She made rudimentary mashup-like songs with her pretty basic knowledge on the piano, but the results were surprisingly good. And it just drove her to do more. To try more. And through those trials and errors she learned.

A few years later she decided that the piano was not her kind of musical instrument, but she was happy that she had learned many useful basics with it. The problem was in her music taste, actually, she liked classical music just fine, but her true interest lay in modern electro and dance genres, in remixes and mashups. So she worked for neighbors, walked their dogs, mowed their lawns, tended their garden to earn money and to be able to purchase her first DJ console. It was a pretty simple gadget, only a few functions, not many variations but for her, it was everything. She got the opportunity to try herself at something her subconscious craved, and when her conscious caught up to it, she felt... happy. Sure, she had a lot to learn, but she was the most enthusiastic wanna-be-DJ there ever was.

When Beca thought back on those times, she always felt some rarely-used muscles in the corner of her mouth stretch, like they were trying to move into a position of a genuine smile. Most of the time she resisted the urge. That era was gone, long gone.

She barely turned eleven when one night her mom hugged her close and told her she needed to pack an overnight bag because they are moving to her Gram's, to Chicago. The girl was confused, she didn't understand what an _affair _or _alimony _was, she didn't know that the word _divorce _didn't necessarily just mean separation. For her it meant someone getting ripped out of her life.

They left that night and slept in a motel close to the airport. Beca remembered her mother's eyes that night – they were empty, almost dead. She was so afraid, she already missed her Dad and she just wanted everything to go back to normal.  
>After that night, nothing was normal ever again.<p>

They left the motel early the next day and flew to Chicago where her grandmother was already waiting for them at the airport. When her mother hugged Gram, that was the first time Beca'd seen her relax since the previous evening. Her mother was up all night, calling her lawyer, moving companies, looking up rentable storage spaces on the net. Beca tried to keep as calm as possible but her mother didn't make it easy for her.

A week after arriving to Chicago, her parents had an agreement. And they didn't ask her about it at all.  
>Beca would stay with her mother and she'd have sole custody over her which was apparently okay with her father. After the first threat from her mother, Beca's father backed out of the custody battle and let Mary Mitchell win. At first, Beca was devastated. She was angry with her father, she didn't understand how Thomas Mitchell could do that to their family, breaking it up for another woman. As far as she knew, her parents were in love and happy. Apparently, she couldn't have been further from the truth.<p>

After the divorce was settled and the summer break was over Beca started a new school in the city where she tried her best to fit in but the only person who would have wanted to do anything with her was some weird geeky boy who couldn't stop talking about movies.

Jesse Swanson was a thin, average looking boy who on the third week of school walked up to the twelve-year-old Beca and told her he thought she was pretty. Beca mumbled a "Thanks" and then looked at Jesse for a few more seconds. So? What did he want?

"I, uh, I thought you might want to be my girlfriend?" he asked shyly and smiled a little. Beca could see that his upper right canine was missing which made the entire situation look even more ridiculous. She didn't know this boy. She didn't know anything about him, therefore didn't even like him.

"I don't think I want to have a boyfriend." Jesse's face fell.

"We wouldn't have to do anything, y-you know" he murmured and his face got a reddish shade. Beca grinned. He seemed like a nice guy, she might be able to befriend him.

"Chill, Swanson. It's okay, I didn't say it because of _that_" she rolled her eyes. "It's just... Can we be just friends? Nothing else?" That seemed to make Jesse think for a second, then his eyes lit up as he looked at Beca with a grin.

"Well, you're going to be my girl-friend, I'm going to be your boy-friend, then. So technically we both get what we wanted!" Beca grinned up at him.

"As long as you don't try any funny business..."

After that day, they became friends. Beca thanked whatever higher entity looked out for her because the list of people who could put up with her behaviour was short, but somehow Jesse joined the club. He was patient and didn't take things to heart, for example when Beca snapped at him or didn't tell him things about her. She was really unforthcoming about personal information, but it wasn't really her fault. At least, she didn't do it on purpuse.

Whenever Jesse asked anything about her life back in Georgia, her throat just closed off. She didn't have any problems breathing but the words just wouldn't come. She looked apologetically at the boy who at first looked uncomfortable but after a while they just left it at that. Despite Beca's problems, they became very close which worried her a little bit given that Jesse apparently still had a crush on her. They didn't talk about it.

Not until they were both seniors in high school and Jesse solemnly told Beca again that he _still_ thought she was pretty.  
>They were hanging out at Jesse's place, playing Halo on his X-box when the boy suddenly paused the game and confessed. Beca swallowed. She looked at her best friend seated next to her, his hands clenched together nervously, his eyes begging her to say something, <em>anything<em>.

_Right, Mitchell, don't torture the guy._

She leaned closer to him and gently kissed his full lips. Jesse was frozen on the spot, his eyes were wide and mesmerized but after a second he caught on and kissed back.  
>It was a nice kiss. No uneccessary saliva, no annoying groping. Still. It was... <em>damn.<br>_Just as Jesse started putting the consol down and wrapping his arms around Beca's waist, the girl broke away with a scared expression on her face.

"Jesse, I think I'm gay" she sputtered, her heart in her throat, her hands trembling. She wanted this to work with Jesse – he was uncomplicated, knew her, loved her. They could goof around, he, well, most of the time he respected Beca's boundaries and her need of personal space. And everyone in school already assumed they were hooking-up so just why shouldn't they?  
>But it wasn' that easy. Beca noticed the signs long ago, the way her eyes would follow a nice female butt down the school corridor, or when Jesse commented on one actress or another and her first respond would be "Oh yes, she's <em>hot.<em>" It shouldn't have been weird. A straight person has _eyes_ too, they can also express their likes or dislikes in an other person's physique without having it to be sexually indicative. But Beca had thoughts. About girls. Lots of thoughts.

She tried to suppress them, she didn't need another thing to be weird about her – she was already a midget who dressed mostly in black, had piercings and underage tattoos. She was closed off and quiet. She was never picked on, or anything. It's just... people kept their distance. Once or twice a boy had approached her and she'd go out with them but it always resulted in awkward conversations, uncomfortable silences and just rarely in second dates. So when Jesse told her he found her pretty, and he clearly referred to their previous encounter a few years back, Beca just couldn't let him go. She wasn't attracted to him, she knew that but he was... Jesse. Her Jesse whom if she lost, she'd surely go crazy in two days tops.

So she went for a kiss. Tried. Hard. But nothing is ever that simple, you rarely just try and succed.

"Am I that bad of a kisser?" Jesse asked with a genuinely concerned face and Beca huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Swanson, that must be it."

"Seriously, B, if you just want to let me down gently you don't have to change your sexual orientation. I understood the first time, too" he said quietly. Beca sat back to the end of the couch, pulled her legs up to her chest and faced Jesse.

"Jesse, you know I like you. Like, dude, c'mon, you know you're my best friend" she said, her face going crimson. To Jesse's credit, he didn't teased her about it. It was the first time in...well, since they'd known each other that Beca admitted out loud that she liked him and the girl felt the _need_ to say something sarcastic to lighten the seriousness of the conversation. But now wasn't the time. For once, she has to be open with Jesse and really talk to him about these things. So she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye.

"Elisabeth Olliver."

"The transfer student who left the school after, like, three months?" he asked eyebrows frowning slightly.

"Yep, her. I had a major crush on her in eights grade" Beca mumbled.

"What? I thought you hated her guts! You always said she was so pretentious and bitchy about things."

"Well, yes. She also had B-cup boobs in eights grade. And really short skirts" shrugged Beca with a half-grin.

"I gotta give you that" Jesse grinned back and his posture relaxed slightly. Beca started to calm down, it wasn't a disaster after all. Jesse might not hate her. Please, God, don't let Jesse hate her. She'd _never_ admit it out loud but their friendship was one of the most important things for her. Music was her drive, her passion but she could easily lose herself to it if it wasn't for Jesse who dragged her out of her room to meet up for a movie or a party. Or just chilling together. He made her better, that wasn't a question, and Beca was actually really scared of the possibility of them separately going to college and losing touch. She wouldn't admit that out loud either, of course.

"Where there others?" Jesse questioned and Beca felt a little more at ease.

"A few..."

"And what about that spin the bottle game last year when you got to make out with Amy Jordan?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, that was a fun game" she smirked back. They kissed in the middle of the circle with catcalls all around them. Later they found themselves alone on the balcony, Beca went out for a smoke (she smoked like, three cigarettes in her entire life, she didn't like the taste or saw the point but after her first kiss with a girl which left her _wanting_ more, she felt like it was time for that bad habit) and Amy followed her a few minutes later. She was a nice looking girl, with lightbrown hair and green eyes. She had that always-ready smile on her face which made her impossibly friendly-looking. Beca rememberd how she'd leaned over the railing next to her, their arms brushed just the slightest and she got a whiff of Amy's perfume and sighed.

"Some party, right?" Amy asked with a smile.

"Right." She remembered she hadn't known what Amy wanted. She was a bit uncomfortable but when the brunette's hand touched her wrist lightly, she looked up to her face. Amy was looking at her with a struggling expression, like _she_ wasn't even sure what she was doing there. Beca needed a few seconds, then stood up straight, and with a small huff she leaned forward and kissed Amy. The other girl didn't hesitated for a second and kissed back eagerly. Beca remembered that night clearly. They had been making out for about twenty minutes when she let her hand sneak under Amy's blouse. She felt the girl's racing heart as she reached her bra, and they both gasped for air. Then Beca kissed a path down on the girl's neck while her hand experimentally started kneading her breast. Amy shuddered and let out a small moan. And Beca knew she was in trouble, because her first thought was, _I want to hear girls make that noise for me._

They didn't have sex that night. They had a heavy make out session but then parted and never really talked about it and neither of them tried to initiate something more. And it was okay.  
>A few months later Beca lost her virginity to a senior girl, Jessica Normann. She was open about her bisexuality and when Beca approached her with a bit of nervousness she was really cool about it. They hooked up a few times but it was always obvious they didn't share any emotional bond. It was experimenting for Beca and fun for the older girl. They parted as friends.<p>

Beca told these things to Jesse who listened to her with great interest, his mouth slightly agape.

"How come I didn't know about any of these things?"

"Well, you weren't supposed to" Beca smirked. "I'm sorry, Jesse. I didn't even know what I was doing and wasn't ready to really talk about it..."

"S'okay, B. I'm glad you told me now, actually." Beca was relieved. Jesse always wore his heart on his sleeve, you could always tell how he felt, and after a few seconds Beca deduced that he wasn't angry with her. Thankfully.

"Of course, dude. But, you know, I really...um, can't like you like that."

"Yes" he laughed at Beca's awkwardness. "I gathered. My manliness is not compatible with your sapphic desires. Shucks, you're missing out!"

"Your manliness... Who was it again who cried at the end of Titanic?"

"_I have allergies!_" he cried loudly, but his cheeks had a suspicious red tint to them which made Beca grin.

"Sure, bro, sure. Your wussiness is safe with me" she teased and Jesse looked at her, contemplating.

"Bro... And you're gay... A lesbian... I'm totally... Going to be..."

"Swanson, don't you _dare..._"

"Your _lesbro_!" He shouted with glee and pounced on Beca.

"Jesse" Beca shrieked and laughed. God, it went a lot better than she expected. Jesse started tickling her and she was gasping for air shen she heard her phone going off.

"Say uncle!" Jesse told her.

"Jesse, damn it, my phone!"

"I won't let you get it, unless you say _uncle!_"

"Okay, okay" she gasped, tears streaming down her face "Uncle, you idiot!" And Jesse set back.

"See, it wasn't that difficult..." But Beca's attention was already on her phone, the caller ID saying _mom_. She sighed and accepted the call.

"Yes?"

"Beca, I need you to come home. And on your way, I need you to buy me one more bottle."

"You know I can't really, right?" she asked in a low voice, turning her back to Jesse. She guessed the boy already knew what was going on but they never discussed it. She knew Jesse wanted to but the fact that he never pushed the issue showed Beca that he respected her need to pretend.

"You have that fake ID you like to flaunt around, use your brain" her mother sneered back and Beca swallowed hard. Yes, she had a fake ID, and it was surprisingly good quality, but she wasn't going to use it to help her mother slide downward into addiction. Deeper into addiction.

"I don't have enough cash on me" she said and heard a snort from the line.

"Then get me something you have enough money for" was the last thing her mother said before disconnecting. Beca cleared her throat and looked back at Jesse who was watching her with compassionate eyes.

"Not now, Swanson."

"I didn't say anything."

"I know and I'm saying not _now_. But we can, you know, if you, um, want to... We could talk about it?" she said but her tone indicated it was more like a question. Jesse nodded and stood up to walk her out.

"B?" he called, when she walked out the door and she turned back. "I'm gonna be the greatest lesbro there ever was" he grinned and Beca felt a shadow of a smile on her own face as well.

"Actually, man, I don't even doubt it." She nodded her thanks and turned. Plugging her earphones in she started walking down the road.

She went into the first open liquor store and bought the cheapest bottle of vodka she could find while schooled her expression into polite boredom as she handed over her ID. The sour-faced shopkeeper just took one look, looked back at her and shrugged. As she payed and left the shady store she couldn't help but wish that the man shook his head and sent her on her way. Or called the cops, even. She felt sick to her stomach as she carried the dull-looking brown paper bag in one hand, her ears filled with a remixed David Guetta track.

Her mother drank. Heavily. It started the second week they moved out of their house, just with a glass of wine for lunch and dinner. Then a few weeks later it was half a bottle for an afternoon. Then one bottle for a day. When she reached her two bottle per day consumption, Beca tried to intervene. She told her mom she should stop, that she didn't need the booze, that they were okay, better off without Thomas Mitchell. Her mother looked at her and shook her head, but didn't say anything.  
>Unfortunately, her drinking had one pro side which made Mary rationalize her addiction.<p>

Since the break up of their family her mother had been struggling with painting, except when she was drunk. She got "a new edge" said some customers and critics who were blown away by this "new and improved" Mary Mitchell, who could "take the people's deepest and darkest feelings and make them appear on her canvas". They had a nice income from the paintings and as long as her mother was intoxicated, she produced them with ease. Beca couldn't _really _complain. Her mother wasn't violent or a bad person when she was under the influence. She was quiet, a bit snippy when she didn't get her next amount of booze, and she was working, functioning. But she wasn't the same. She wasn't interested in anything but painting and her daughter became more and more of a stranger to her.

Beca didn't blame her, at least she didn't think she did. She blamed her father who abandoned them, _her_, who sometimes didn't call for months. He contacted them occasionally, a few times a year – at holidays and Beca's birthday. But that was it and Beca rarely bothered to pick up the phone or tried to be polite. Now, Thomas knew exactly what his daughter thought of him as a father or as a man. Still, Beca had to give it to him, he tried. He sent the monthly payments, he invited Beca to stay with them for a few days, which she obviously always declined, and told her at the end of every call that no matter what, he loved her. Those words didn't mean _shit_ to the girl.

Beca learned to cope, though, with everything. She adjusted. The fact, that her mother worked and fortunately made money didn't mean she could raise her daughter but that was okay. Beca raised herself. She paid the bills, because Mary seldom bothered or remembered, cleaned and cooked for themselves. On those occasions when her mother did drink more than what her system could handle, she took care of her, too. In the meantime she had Jesse and her music and she learned to appreciate them both, so while she was definitely an antisocial person she always tried to be as open with the boy as possible, and when she felt like everything was going sideways and desperation and pain were slowly eating her up, she worked her feelings out through music. She improved considerable since that first DJ set she bought herself and she started to actually think that she wanted to work with music, produce music as a profession. She knew she could be good. Could be enough.

Her only problem was, she knew that while Chicago was the third most populous city in the US it wasn't exactly famous for it's music industrial importance, Beca had considerably less of a chance of making it big. She knew if she wanted to live her life the way she could be happy with it, she needed to move to Los Angeles and work there. With persistance and luck she might just get her break and maybe, just maybe one thing would go right for her. She wasn't exactly the daydreaming type but she found herself lost in these thoughts more than often. The only problem was her mother – she wasn't sure she could leave her here, alone, Mary may not be able to could take care of herself sufficiently. She sighed as she arrived to their three-bedroom apartment at the north-side of the city. When she entered it was quiet so she figured her mother must be working. She made her way towards her studio which was the third bedroom and when she entered, her blood ran cold. Her mother was lying lifeless on the ground, and a thin line of blood trickled down her chin.

"Mom!" she cried and jumped towards the lifeless body. She put her second and middle finger to her mother's neck, the way she saw people do on tv, but couldn't find a pulse. She let out a choking sound, tears gathering in her eyes. Then she placed her hand under her mother's nose and sobbed out in relief as she felt a little huff of breath on her skin. She was alive. Unconscious, but alive. Beca pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

A few days later they had a diagnosis. Cancer. Liver, which metastasized to her lungs. It was stage III, they were late. Of course they were. She didn't notice the signs. She thought her mother's weakend state was due to hungovers, her coughing to the packs of cigarettes she smoked. She never assumed that it could be anything like... cancer. Fucking. _Cancer._

The doctors told them not to give up on hope, that Beca's mother still had a chance – even if it was a small one, Beca thought bitterly –, that they should try aggressive radiation and chemo therapy and if the tumors shrink enough they could try and operate. There were lots of medical jargon in there somewhere but Beca thought she got the gist of it.  
>When her mother's doctor left the room, she followed the balding surgeon and stopped him outside.<p>

"Numbers."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me numbers. I know she asked you not to do that, but I need to know. What are her chances?"

"Miss, you really should talk to..."

"I can't. She won't listen to me. Please" she whispered and lifted her chin, looking at the man with desperation in her eyes. He sighed.

"I'd say the chances of her survival are low. But not impossible. Around twenty percent." Beca swallowed. Why is this happening? How could this...

"How much time does she have left?" The surgeon looked at her with sad eyes and placed his hand on Beca's shoulder as a comforting gesture. The girl's whole body stiffened and she flinched. She wasn't good at physical contact, and it was't the time for practice. At all.

"Two months" he said the verdict, then squezzed Beca's shoulder once more – _Stop. It. _– before turning around and leaving.

Beca felt her legs giving out from under her and she slid down next to the wall, blindly palming her pockets after her phone. Finally, she found it. Scrolling through her contacts she paused at "Dad" for a moment then scrolled further and stopped at "Jesse Lesbro Swanson". She didn't think as she called him and Jesse picked up at the second ring.

"Hey, B, what's up?" he asked quietly. Beca told him they would get the results of the biopsy that day, he was apparently waiting for the call.

"Jesse" she choked, and she _hated_ how broken she sounded. She felt dizzy, disorientated, and her stomach was in knots. Breathing became something she had to consciously concentrate on. "Can you come down here?" she asked in a small voice.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." His solemn voice was something Beca didn't hear too often. Jesse was always grins and movies and juice pouches and getting on her nerves. And boy, she was glad she had him.

A few weeks later it was clear: the treatments didn't work. It was the hardest thing Beca ever had to hear and she wasn't sure she could have stood there if Jesse hadn't been right next to her, his rigid posture showing how upset he was, his hand grabbing hers. She wanted to initiate the contact, she needed it, but she didn't know how, and thankfully her best friend knew her enough to help her out.

Mary Mitchell died one month after her cancer was diagnosed. She was barely lucid at the end, and she suffered from serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Beca tried to be there for her as much as she could but she had to attend at least _some_ classes so they'd let her graduate with her year. Two weeks before her mother's death, she turned nineteen. They had a beer with Jesse as celebration then just slept. It seemed to Beca, her life became a constant blur of tiredness and subway rides to the hospital and back home, then Jesse'd pick her up in his beaten down Toyota and take her to school where she was fortunately ignored by most of her teachers and fellow students.

The day Mary died, she called her father. Beca begged her mother not to call him herself and Mary granted her daughter her wish. Thomas didn't even know her ex-wife was sick when Beca called him from the hospital.

"Beca?"

"Hey, yes." She cleared her throat, damn, how was she supposed to do it?

"To what do I owe this pleasure? Is everything alright? We just spoke a few weeks ago..."

"Dad" she interrupted. "Dad, Mom died. A few hours ago." The line was silent for a good ten seconds. "You there?"

"I... Yes. What happened?" she heard him breathe deeply, pictured him squeezing his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Cancer. Liver."

"What?!" he asked loudly. "Why didn't any of you called me?"

"It wasn't exactly your business now, was it?" she asked back bitterly, clenching her jaw. How _dare_ he be angry? It was basically his fault her mother drank herself into oblivion, he _started_ the ball of snow rolling which resulted in this disastrous avalanche.

"I could have helped..."

"Oh? I didn't know you became a surgeon in the mean time! Or a _fucking_ wizard who could make _fucking_ tumors disappear!" she shrieked. "She's dead" she sobbed into the line. No matter how estranged they were with her father, she was still his daughter. She still had the urge to ran to him, no matter how much she despised him.

"Becs, I'm... I'm so sorry. Do you want me to come up there?"

"I don't."

"I'm coming up there." He said firmly and she repressed a relieved sigh. She was so tired. She knew she needed help but she couldn't ask Jesse to help her with her mother's funeral. No.

"Thank you."

Four days later, they buried Mary Mitchell. The ceremony was short and somber, they invited some of Mary's artist friends and Jesse. Thomas and Beca stood quietly all along, they didn't talk to each other. Beca was greatful towards her father that he came to Chicago on such short notice but years of resentment made it really hard for her to hold a civil conversation with the man.

Especially when, after the funeral they went home and he did start talking.

"So, when do you plan moving down to Georgia?" Beca was drinking a glass of water and she almost spit it out.

"I'm not moving."

"You can't live here all alone!" argued Thomas. "Next year, you can come to Georgia, and attend Barden. For free, I might add."

"I'm moving to LA. I want to work in the music industry! I want to...produce music, Dad."

"Oh, come on. Becs, you don't think that seriously either, do you? You can't have DJ-ing as a carreer."

"I'm good. I can make it."

"You have, maybe, possibly a chance of making it. I don't know. But you must get proper education first!"

"I don't...Awh!" cried out Beca in frustration. "I'm not going to argue. This is my life. I have lived it for years so I can take care of Mom but now I need to...focus on what _I_ want! You know how long she's been drinking? Seven. Years." She said slowly. She saw her father's eyes widen. Good. He should know what sort of mess he made her mother into. But then she stopped herself, it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the memories which would resurface, it wasn't worth the bile in her mouth which would surely come. But apparently she didn't need to say more.

"Beca, I'm so sorry."

"I'd say you don't have to be but... You know what? Knock yourself out."

"But please, be reasonable. Come to Barden. For a year, try college. And if after a year you still want to go to LA and be...P. Diddy, then I'll help you move."

"Are you serious?" she said suspiciously but couldn't keep the hope out of her voice.

"But I really need to _see_ it, Beca!"

"You got yourself a deal. Probably. But I'll need to call Jesse first."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beca collected her luggage at the airport, then turned on her phone. She immediately got a new message from Jesse which she opened with a small smirk.

**You arrived, shorty? :)**

Beca just rolled her eyes. After the age of fifteen the jokes about her height ran dry but Jesse always told her he'd bring them back from the dead. Make them trendy. And that he'll find the perfect short-joke even she'd laugh at. Yes, fat chance of that.

**Just landed and collected my stuff. I'll call a cab and meet u at Barden?**

After her father's proposition she'd called her best friend and asked if he'd found any colleges he would be particularly interested in. When he told her he hadn't, she asked if he'd consider Barden.

Beca knew she sounded needy. She knew it was out of character for her to ask Jesse to come with her but after losing her mother, she just couldn't stand the thought of being away from the only person she really had a connection with. Fortunately, Jesse told her he'd love to attend Barden with her, and "be the lesbro wingman" for her "many certain sexcapades". He even added that he checked out the possibilities Barden offered and found some good programs he wouldn't mind studying. Beca was so relieved when she heard his answer she'd even let herself to be dragged to one of Jesse's infamous movie-cation sessions where the boy would make her watch a "classic" and ramble _all along_, saying the lines, singing the soundtrack, blurting out "fun-facts" about the film. Beca suffered through many of these sessions and no, she still couldn't stand movies.

**I'm at the activities fair, come down when you're done unpacking!**

Really? Activities fair? Beca rolled her eyes and sat outside on a bench waiting for her taxi. As she saw the traffic and the amount of people who waited for their ride, she sighed and took out her Macbook from its case to load up her latest unfinished mix. It was a bold move for her, combining _Guetta's Titanium_ with the _Proclaimers' 500 miles _and she'd spent a lot of time working on it until this point. She closed her eyes and listened to the little imperfections she still hadn't corrected. She worked on the track for about twenty minutes, it was definitely a long task, when her phone buzzed indicating an incoming e-mail. It was some spam but it made her realise that her ride could be here any minute so she packed up and stood at the side of the road. If only she could make it a little more...

_Done unpacking, _he said, huffed Beca. If he helped she'd be done sooner... Or maybe she shouldn't have started the packing with her computers and other music-making devices because then she'd actually be able to get things done. But she had this itch which made her unable to stop whenever she got the idea to a new mix. So she placed her computers and DJ console on her desk, unpacked her CDs and a small digital keyboard, then sat down and started improving her latest mix.

The introduction with her roommate went...well, though Beca still wasn't sure whether Kimmy Jin spoke English or didn't.

_Screw it_, she thought, _I can always get dressed from my bags._ With that, she left the room.

**Where r u?**

She shot a text to Jesse while she was aimlessly walking around the fair. It was a bit of a weird experience, there were college kids around pretending to play quidditch, frat guys chanting obscenely, half naked swimmers just hanging around in speedos.

Barden DJs, said one banner and she made her way towards it, hoping that she found something she could actually enjoy this year. But no. DJs, deaf jews. Figures.

**Listening to these awesome a capella guys! Meet me at the radio station in 30 mins, we should intern there together.**

_Only Jesse would say that a capella was awesome_, she smirked.

**K**

She messaged back and started going around looking for the radio station. She would be early but she didn't really have anything to do so she figured she'd hang out there waiting for Jesse.

"Hi, any interest in joining our a capella group?" broke a voice into her thoughts and she looked up, surprised, just to find herself mesmerised by the most gorgeous set of blue eyes she'd ever seen.

_C'mon, Mitchell, play it cool._

She forced a smirk onto her face while her thoughts were running a thousand miles per second as she stared at the pamphlet the girl shoved into her hand. This redhead was a goddess. The blue dress she wore made the cerulean of her eyes pop mercilessly; her long, shapely legs were treats for Beca's eyes; her soft mouth and friendly smile made her heart beat a bit faster. It wasn't love at first sight – but it was lust for sure.

"Right, it's like, a thing now" she said with a grin then mentally slapped herself and rearranged her face into... _coolness._

"Oh, totes!" leaned forward the redhead enthusiastically and Beca had a really hard time keeping her eyes on those blue ones. The redhead's companion, a tall, knockout blonde looked at Beca with a forced smile, her eyes narrowing slightly. _Oops_. "We sing covers of songs but we do it without any instrument. It's all from our mouths" she finished leaning forward slightly with a somewhat suggestive smile. Beca swallowed. And didn't say a thing. She froze, which the redhead registered with mirth in her eyes and a small wink.

"There's four group on campus. The Bellas..." she started describing the various a capella groups of Barden but Beca couldn't concentrate. The girl was talking with her whole body, her eyes flashed, her hands motioned, her shoulders changed posture depending on what she was talking about.

"So, are you interested?" she asked finally.

"In what?" Beca asked back lamely.

"A capella!" smiled the redhead. Oh my god, she was really beautiful.  
><em>Okay, focus, Mitchell. She's probably not interested, she's just flirty. Right now, you really don't need a heartbreak. <em>

"Sorry, it's just, I think it's pretty lame" as she said it, she slapped herself mentally. The redhead's face fell, like she just kicked a puppy in the belly. _Sorry!_

"Aca-scuse me!" snapped the blonde. "Synchronized lady dancing to a Mariah Carey chart topper is not lame!"

"You... did hear what you just said, right?" replied Beca before she could stop herself.

"We sing all over the world and compete in national championships!" tried the redhead again with a fainter smile.

"On purpose?" Beca heard herself saying then bit her tongue. _What is the matter with you?! _

"We played at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, you bitch!" screeched the blonde and Beca raised her eyebrows. Feisty.

"Oh, what Aubrey means to say" started the redhead – _Great, the bitch is Aubrey but what's your name? _– with a calming voice "is that we are a close-knit, talented group of ladies whose dream is to return to the national finals at Lincoln Center this year. Help us turn our dreams into a reality?" she looked so... hopeful it was hard to watch.

"Sorry I don't even sing but it was really nice to meet you guys" she said in a rush then turned and left.

_That... could have gone better._

Later they met up with Jesse in front of the radio station. The boy'd moved down to Barden a few days earlier and apparently he missed Beca because as he arrived he pulled the short girl into a hug which resulted lifting her up in the air.

"Jesse Swanson if you don't put me down this instant I'm not talking to you for the next five months!" she cried trying to wiggle out of the hug.

"Ah, you love me" he said with a toothy grin.

"You are..."

"Wow, with that much strenght in your voice I'd guessed you could sing" heard Beca before she could finish her sentence. The redhead. She became hyper aware of the fact that Jesse's arms were still around her and how they probably looked. She jumped, literally _jumped _a few feet away from the boy who looked at her questioningly, then at the redhead with narrowed eyes.

"I'm Chloe, by the way" introduced herself the older girl, holding out her hand which Beca shook.

"Beca" she heard a cough from behind and rolled her eyes. "And this is Jesse."

"Well, hello" said the boy. "Beca, I'll just...go inside. Ahead. You... take your time."

That smirk shouldn't have been on his face. Jesse Swanson would have to pay!

"Sure, bro." And she could have swore that she heard Jesse cough _lesbro_ on his way inside. "So, Chloe, do you work here, too?"

"Oh, no. I'm just here to ask Luke for a favour. We weren't that successful recruiting girls for the Bellas and I thought if I could make a radio announcement maybe some more people would come."

"Right" Beca said. "Look I'm actually sorry for the way I acted. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. Lots of people don't get it why a capella is great but I think you should come to one of our shows. If you'd like to, of course..." she trailed off, looking at Beca with a smile.

"Yeah, maybe I'll..."

"Chloe?" came a heavy british accent from the door behind them. "What are you doing here?" asked the cheerful, very handsome guy whose eyes were roaming over Chloe.

_It's rude to stare._  
>Right, like she was in the place to say something like that.<p>

"I came to ask a favor."

"Okay, I'll be with you in a minute" then he turned to Beca. "You must be...Becky, the intern?"

"It's actually..."

"Come with me" he said and motioned for the girls to follow. "You and Jesse are going to stack CDs. When you're done, there's more. Now you guys are going to spend a lot of time here together so just please, no sex on the desk."

Beca just looked at him like he was crazy, but Jesse was a bit more talkative.

"No problems there, man, Beca here is gay as a window!"

"_Jesse!_"

"What? It's true."

"Okay, then" drawled Luke then turned to Chloe. "Let's take this to the booth, shall we?"

"Sure" said Chloe but her eyes were on Beca who felt her cheeks flush. "See you later, guys!"

"See ya" Jesse called after her then turned to Beca. "You have a crush on her!"

"I do _not._" _That was absolutely believable_.

"Oh, you totally do! I have never seen you crushing on someone!" he whispered furiously "Can I watch? Document? Can I make soundtrack for you two?" he asked laughing. Beca just rolled her eyes and turned her back.

"Shut up, and start stacking CDs, Swanson."

A few days later Beca found herself unable to sit any more in her dorm room and despite that it was exactly the thing her father recommended she did sit out to, well, not exactly study, but to work on the grass. She pulled up once more her Titanium vs. 500 miles mashup but she just couldn't get it right. There was something missing.  
>She put on her headphones and lay down onto the ground, her eyes closed, her whole being focused on the remix. Just when she thought she didn't know what else was missing she heard it – <em>there. <em>Her eyes popped open and she sat up, leaning over her laptop making a few changes here and there, adding another repetition of the chorus and turning the bass up a little more... She hesitated before hitting the space bar once again, effectively starting the song. As she listened to it a huge grin broke out on her face.

"Yes!" she laughed and quickly saved it. She worked her ass off for this song but it was finally ready.

"Hey" she heard someone and then felt a light tap on her shoulder. Turning, her eyes met cornflower blue ones. Chloe.

_Could this day get any better?_

"Hey. What's up?" asked Beca. "Did that radio announcement thing work out?"

"Ah, we won't know until next week, that's when the auditions are." Chloe shrugged. "What were you doing?"

"Oh, just some...work" said Beca lamely. She rarely showed her music to anyone, not because she didn't think they were good enough but they were...hers. She worked hard on all of them and they all had a story, little pieces of Beca herself.

"That much excitement over school work?"

"No, it's actually, well, I sometimes, I mean often, I...ugh" she rambled.

"Beca, it's okay." The redhead touched her forearm lightly, sending chills down Beca's spine.

"Sorry. So, I make mashups. And remixes. You know, just...music." She looked up at the girl who was looking at her with some oddly tender expression. That's when Beca noticed that Chloe's hand was still on her forearm and shifted to make the redhead move her hand.

"That sounds really nice. Can I hear something of yours?" She seemed sincerely interested and she watched her so intensely Beca had to look down into her lap so she wouldn't do something stupid. Like, tackle her to the ground and kiss the living soul out of her.

_Woah, what was that?_

"Beca?"

"Right, sure. Um, do you have any preference?"

"Women" Chloe said and Beca's hands froze for a second until she heard the redhead chuckle. "Female singers" she clarified with a smirk that made Beca blush.

"Then...here you go, try this" she handed Chole her headphones and turned on one of her best mixes, well, at least in her opinion. It was a mashup of _Jennifer Lopez's On the floor, Britney's Hold it against me, _and_ Rihanna's S&M._

Chloe closed her eyes to listen to the music and Beca had the chance to study the redhead from up close. Her hair was falling around her face in perfect waves, and the freckles on her nose made her look adorable. She had a small scar on her forehead which she hadn't noticed during their last encounter. Chloe bit her lower lip and she frowned a bit while she listened to the music and Beca would have swore at that moment that there was nothing sexier on the entire planet.

Her eyes wandered lower, to the low-cut top her companion was wearing and she unconsciously licked her lips as she shamelessly checked out Chloe's cleavage.

_Man, I'm so gay._

Just as she was contemplating on her sexuality Chloe cleared her throat and handed back Beca her headphones. The younger girl was mortified, she was definitely caught staring at Chloe's boobs! She looked up, face flaming with shame but the redhead didn't look at her with disgust but with pure admiration in her eyes.

"Beca, that was amazing! Oh my god, would you mind to, erm, well, show me some more?"

"You liked it?" Beca asked, grinning.

"I loved it! It's so...exciting. You totes aced that track."

"Thank you. It's nice to hear it from someone else aside from Jesse."

"No one else have ever told you how awesome your music is?" asked the redhead in disbelief like it was something she couldn't even fathom. Like that was downright insulting. And yes, it might have appealed to Beca's vanity a little bit.

"I don't really show it to people, to be honest." Chloe's mouth formed an O and she looked at Beca with a gentle smile.

"Then I'm really glad you decided to show me. We should totes..." then Chloe's phone went off and she grabbed it, mouthing a silent Sorry! to Beca.

"Yes? No, I don't think so... Really? Oh my God, that's amazing, Bree! I'm so hap... Sure, why not. Right now?" she glanced at Beca who just nodded that it was okay if she had to go. Chloe smiled in response. "Okay, I can do that. I'll be there in a few, bye!" she disconnected then turned to Beca.

"Sorry, I gotta go but I'm totes gonna make you show me more of your mashups!" she leaned forward and wrapped Beca into a hug. The younger girl froze but didn't try to wiggle out of the contact the way she'd usually do and when she noticed the faint vanilla scent that was all around Chloe she smiled a little.

"Okay" she murmured.

"We should hang out more!" was the last thing Chloe told her before she grinned and left.

_Okay._

Next Thursday morning Beca was sleeping peacefully in her bed when she felt a rude poke in her side. She kicked out of reflex toward the general way the poke came from and was surprised when a sharp "Ow!" chased the remains of sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Funny story, actually. I came to ask you the same question. This doesn't look like your Intro to Philosophy class" he remarked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm actually posing an important philosophical question" Beca answered while she sat up in her bed. "If I don't actually go to that class, will it still suck?"

"Beca, you picked that class. You should at least try it!"

"I only picked it because, and I'm quoting here 'My daughter's not going to attend this university with only Music as her major'. Remember?"

"I know what I said, thank you. But Becs, I don't see you trying, you know. I'm sure you could quote our deal with great precision, too, and it contained you trying to have a real college experience. Lying in your room alone doesn't really count."

"Oh, so if there was someone else lying in here with me, that would count as college experience?"

"Could you stop with the smart ass comments for a second?" _Whoops, he was angry._ "I swear I'm not aiming to be the bad guy here. I offered you LA. But I'll take it back if you can't keep your end of the bargain. Go out there! Have some fun." He pleaded. "You've been here almost a month now, do you have any friends besides Jesse?"

Red hair and a dimply smile flashed in front of Beca's eyes but she didn't say anything.

"Look, join one club. Any club on campus, attend your classes, or at least most of them, and I'll get off your back, okay?" her father asked, exasperated. Beca nodded. "Thank you."

"Now that we agreed on that, can you go? I'd like to take a shower and you probably shouldn't stay alone in students' rooms if you don't want to make the wrong impression..."

"Fine, fine, I'll go."

"Bye."

Entering the third-floor bathroom Beca wondered what her next remix should contain. Her new obsession, Titanium was totally on the table, that song had the mashup potential like nothing else, she just needed to find another song she wanted to pair it up with. Or more songs. She usually worked with two or three songs for one track, but maybe she should try more, it could be exciting...

_You shout it out_

_But I can't hear a word you say_

_I'm talking loud not saying much_

Yes, and she could maybe layer it a bit. Make it sound a bit…echo-ish, she thought as she stepped out of her robe and hang it with her bathroom bag. She should turn the bass up. Titanium is a grateful recipient of that, you just turn up the bass and it becomes a much more powerful song.

_I'm criticized_

_But all your bullets ricochet_

_Shoot me down, but I get up_

She sang it out loud letting the warm water cascading down her. And then she needs to bring a second song back... _Oh, _yes, she knew exactly what she needed!

_This time baby, I'll be bulletproof  
>This time baby, I'll be bulletproof<em>

La Roux's Bulletproof would fit _nicely_ here, definitely. Beca felt a grin tugging on her lips. And the lyrics would work, too. She liked mixing up different genres and it was something she was good at but these two songs worked in her head like they were intended to be together at the first place.

And then she could bring back the Titanium chorus…

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
>Fire away, fire away<br>Ricochet, you take your aim  
>Fire aw…<em>

"You can sing!" interrupted a cheerful voice.

"Dude, Chloe, oh my _God_!" Beca tried to cover herself with the shower curtain but Chloe reached past her and turned the water off. Her hand brushed Beca's shoulder and the brunette had to stop herself from jumping back against the wall.

"How high does your belt go?" she asked looking at Beca.

"My what?!" Beca cried, desperately trying to cover herself up. Really, it should have been a dream, her crush – _yes, damn it, Jesse, you were right – _interrupted her in a shower stark naked, but as much as it should have been some sex dream, it became something right out of a Hitchcock movie – _and damn Jesse, again _–, it was absolutely creepy.

"You have to audition for the Bellas" Chloe said calmly.

"I can't concentrate on anything until you cover your junk." _Really, you're perfect. _

Beca tried hard, really hard not to but she did take a peek at the redhead's body and it was flawless. Her breasts were perky, her stomach flat and toned, her legs long and strong. Her arms well defined, but not overly so and her collarbone was begging to be kissed. Beca fought the urge to lick her lips and she probably failed, but Chloe continued.

"Just consider it! One time, we sang back up for Prince…" she was still talking but Beca concentrated on trying to get the shower curtain around herself. It didn't really work and Chloe didn't seem affected by the whole thing! Which was at least a little bit insulting. Beca barely had the strength not to stare but the redhead was just standing there, smiling, talking about _a capella _for crying out loud.

"Seriously? I am nude" she blurted and turned around. She just turned her head in time to catch Chloe checking out her butt which sent her a fresh wave of embarrassment and, holy shit, _arousal _through her body.

"You were singing Titanium, right? With Bulletproof?" Beca tried to smile at her.

"You know David Guetta?" Beca bit her tongue. Of course, she knew Guetta you have to live…

"Have I been living under a rock?" Chloe smirked. "Yeah. That song is my jam. My _lady-jam._"

_Oh, for the love of hip-hop… Now that was just cruel torture._

"That's nice" Beca tried hiding her flaming face but Chloe stepped closer.

"Yes. That song really builds" she winked, and then "Can you sing it for me?"

"Dude, no! Get out!"

"Not for that reason" again that smirk. "I'm not leaving here 'til you sing, so…"

And Beca believed her because… because the girl barged into her shower just to hear her sing so she was probably a bit unhinged. But as she wrapped it into this adorable package that was her whole being Beca didn't find it _that_ disturbing. Which was…well, disturbing.

As she sang she turned towards Chloe and the redhead's face lit up as she joined her in perfect harmonium. It was an oddly spiritual – or whatever – experience, Beca had to admit that. At the end they just stood there staring at each other, smiling. But Beca just couldn't stand the thought of not checking out the redhead once more, she let her eyes wander downwards for a second and when she saw Chloe doing the same she tried to cover herself a bit more.

"Yes, I'm pretty confident about…all this" Chloe motioned over her body and Beca nodded.

"You should be." And just like that, it was really awkward again. Chloe reached back and offered her towel for her. Beca took it but then she remembered…

"I still, uhm, need to shower."

"Oh, right, okay. Then see you at auditions!" Chloe called back as she exited the stall with a small wave.

_What was that?!_

The next day she actually went to her philosophy class, which surprised her the most. What was even more surprising is that the class was…interesting. Their professor was a nice looking gentleman who spoke with a soft respect resonating through his voice as he told them about the great ancient philosophers and introduced them to some newer ones, too. He also asked some weird questions, so Beca sat mostly in silence at the back of the class so she wouldn't get humiliated. Not that anybody did get humiliated. But why risk it?

After her class she sent a message to Jesse.

**Hanging out urs?**

The boy didn't answer for several minutes which was weird as Jesse spent more time on his phone than a fifteen-year-old instagram maniac girl, always checking out new trailers for movies, editing his blog and Beca knew he had a tumblr account, too, even though he always denied it.

**Sure, we can watch something! :D Come over when you'd like to.**

Beca rolled her eyes. Jesse knew they wouldn't watch anything but tried all the time. She directed her steps towards his dorm room. She plugged in her ears while walking, concentrating on the music when she felt a body crash into hers. She opened her eyes – _when did she close them? _– to see papers and books scattering around her, falling to the ground.

"Shit, sorry, I wasn't paying attention" she said as she crouched down to help with the books.

"God, not _you_" said a voice and Beca looked up at the blonde girl towering over her.

"Aubrey" She blurted the girl's name and she was glad she remembered. "I'm sorry, here" she offered several collected and a bit crumpled papers to the blonde who looked at her angrily.

"I hear you are coming to the Bella's auditions?"

"I'm not sure yet…" she shrugged. It was the truth. She was inclined to go and her father insisted on a club so why not one with a gorgeous redhead in it but it was still a bit too…lame for her. At least she liked to think she was cooler than _"synchronized lady dancing to a Mariah Carey chart topper"_.

"What? Aren't you gay? A naked Chloe Beale didn't convince you?" Aubrey smirked at her and Beca felt a heat in her cheeks.

"I'm not saying I'm _not_ going, just that I'm still thinking." Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"Don't ridicule yourself. You're going to be there." Beca didn't have words for that, she just shrugged.

"Whatever, bye" she said and the blonde nodded. She turned on her heels and walked toward Jesse's building, green eyes following her every step.

"Hey, B, wazzup?"

"Nothing much. Hey" she started then stopped. Jesse's going to tease her for eternity for this… "do you think I should join that a capella group?" she was still concentrating on the boy's posters on the wall and tried to sit casually on the bed. But when she heard a bubbling laughter from her friend she looked at him with angry eyes.

"You, joining the Barden Bellas?" he asked, grinning. "I mean, you know that's singing and costumes and everything, right?"

"Yes, but my dad said I have to join a club on campus and, well,…"

"This is the only one with hot girls in it?" he asked, still grinning from ear to ear.

"_No!_ That's so not the reason." She answered sullenly.

"Then please enlighten me, what is the reason?"

"I… Have to join a club" she said lamely.

"Yes, that really leaves only the girly a capella group as a possibility."

"Okay, fuck, so what if I do have a crush on Chloe?" she snapped and seeing the expression on Jesse's face she face palmed herself. "Is it such a horrible thing?"

But when she heard her friend's voice she couldn't detect any trace of mocking in his voice.

"Beca, c'mon I'm just kidding. I'm also hoping to join the Treblemakers. I won't think you're lame if you audition or anything."

"I don't care what you think." She murmured back but it was clearly a lie. Jesse was about the only person whose opinion counted for Beca, weirdly enough the close second was Chloe. Whom she'd known for…two weeks? That was pretty pathetic, to be honest.

"Sure you don't" answered Jesse but he sat closer to her letting Beca decide if she wanted to lean onto his shoulder or not. And she wanted to. Really. But then it would be weird standing up and Jesse might try to hug her or something and that would mean even more contact and now she was wearing a hoodie so she'd feel warm soon, too warm and…

_Fuck. Why was it so hard?!_

"Okay, it might have to do something with a certain redhead." She said, her voice masking her inner struggle so Jesse wouldn't know. He knew things, more things about her than anybody else but Beca didn't want him to think she was _too_ weird. There are limits with everyone.

"B, that's okay. Hell, Chloe is like a… Woah."

"Hey, watch it, Swanson." She punched him lightly in the shoulder and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Did he like Chloe?

"C'mon, B, I'd be a really bad lesbro if I tried to get your girl" he nudged her and Beca finally let herself fall back onto his shoulder. Jesse was always successful in breaking down her walls.

A/N: so, yes, the plot line is mainly following the movie's but there will be additional characters, events, everything.:) Hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think!


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